hey all i am ordering a kit from fatman fab i want an airbag set up to go on my 51 chevy styleline deluxe coup does anyone know the pros and cons of shockwaves
Expensive and not a lot of travel. There is always a way to relocate front front shocks. I would use Slam Specialties
the new slam ss series 7 inch bags...put them on my daily, they are awesome and are cheap. got with airbags,shock mounts are easy.
Shockwaves: One manufacturer, expensive, short travel, limited number of models, lots of reports of leaks and failures (use search), limited mounting options (because shocks are inside), can only be replaced with the same if they fail, etc. Conventional bags: Dozens of manufacturers, cheap, tons of sizes and travel options, limited reports of failure (most due to improper installation*), almost limitless mounting options, can be replaced (in pairs) with dissimilar units, either direct bolt-in, or after drilling a hole or two. Is this even really a question? I use Slam Specialties bags exclusively now. They don't balloon, and have internal bump stops. Zero failures here. Tons of sizes. As our Model A Hooligan mentioned, use the SS series, they have an extra inch of travel, at no extra charge. Shock mounts are easy. *The bag bellows, of any kind, must never, ever, touch metal, ever.
I've been thinking about this alot latley. After searching the concensus on here is bags all the way. I agree but it does depend on your set up. I have mustang 2 on the front of my 52 and i worrie about fitting a conventional bag in the spring pocket. I also have ladder bar suspension in the rear that is set up for coil-overs so shockwaves would be really easy. I think I have decided to go with regular bags and just do the extra fab work.
gimpy is 100% correct. the new ss series has one inch of travel more and are actualy a few bucks cheaper since the mounting plates are composit instead of the aluminum. they are supposed to last even longer than their old bags,wich were pretty good. ive had firstones,airlifts,and slams. the slams were awesome for the money,the firestones were okay. the airlifts SUCKED. oh and did i mention slam replaces their bag for FREE if it fails.(asuming it was installed correctly) i went to slam themselves and they were so decent that they actualy lost my buisness,they told me to go down the street to AVS cause they sold their bag for a few bucks cheaper...now thats customer service trying to help a customer get a better deal buy buying at a different place..
you cut some of the pocket out if it hits, its not hard. i had a bagged (non freindly 98 gmc pickup) and had to do this. slams ride pretty good to.
well honestly, the truck rode the worst with those on it and they had NO lift. very VERY small range of travel. i bolted the ss bags in (same size) and the truck had at least 4 inches more travel/lift.
Do you mean the older style Airlift bags with crimp rings? The newer Dominator series is a huge improvement with very high range of travel. I have used them in several cars with great success. And I like the slam as well.
im pretty sure they were dominators, all i know is the mounting brackets were black not gold like usual.
Heres a photo of my previous 41 Buick with Dominator 2500 in front. Pretty good lift in these. This is the older style bags with the crimp ring design and the travel range of these sucks compared to the Dominators and they where also famous for crimp ring failures with bad leaking problems.
Add another vote for airbags. I would however go with Slam Specialties RE bags instead of the SS. I have seen to many leaks with the SS series bags around the insert for the fittings. A fellow club member has a shop and gave them a try on 2 vehicles. Had to replace 6 out of 8 of the bags. Another fellow club member put them on the back of his tacoma and both made it about a month before leaking in the same manner. Not everyone may have the same experience, but the shops out here pretty much swear them off and stick with the RE's.
Depending on your individual setup, which bags, and how low you want to go, much of the spring cup area may be occupied by a metal spacer anyway. This would limit the amount that you would have to trim the cup by, if at all. As for having to do the "extra fab work", there are veritable multitude brackets, pre-made, that you could use to accomplish the rear install, with no fab at all, just a little welding.
I used universal air " air house 2" bags they compress farther than the other bags I've used. I get 9 inches of lift on my car and I'm super happy with them.
I did too, until I applied some Loctite 565 and Loctite 7471 activator, along with waiting the requisite 24 hours for it to cure. I do NOT use anything but liquid sealant. Tape is for water pipes. It should be noted, I have had this issue with several brands of air bags, valves, tanks, and fittings. If you are installing dry, I think you might be expecting a miracle.
I have shockwaves in my 51 coupe with bags in the rear and i have had no issues as far as failures go and the ride quality is great with them. However you can get more travel out of a bag setup, it really depends on how much you want to spend in my opinion.
I do not disagree with you. I was just making note of what I have seen. I know the shop uses liquid sealant on all of their installs. Mainly because he is the one that got me to use it instead of the tape. I am not 100% sure about the other buddy that had to replace both of his, but considering that he has had bagged vehicles for the better part of a decade now, I would assume that the he didn't attempt to install it dry. I wasn't expecting miracles from these bags, just very surprised with the amount of leaking SS bags that I have seen. That said, Slam has been very good about replacing them at no cost everytime they have called them.
I don't know about airbags myself , I do have shockwaves in all four corners of my henry J. I do believe you get more travel from a bag. I have never had a problem with the rear shockwaves. But I am on my 4th set of fronts just replaced them today in fact and airride tech has been very helpful in replacing them for no charge. Its just a pain in the ass breaking the ball joints everytime a shaft snaps. They have a fast turn around. Oh I have 40,000 on my J Its a driver. Definitly use liquid sealer on the fitting tape sucks.just make sure there is nothing touching the bag AT ALL too. .
my vote for slam specialties too, nothing better, and i saw them made right in fresno, ca, i had a leak, way out of their stated warranty, called em, they said bring it in, the guy built me one and gave it to me still hot, said if you ever have a problem, let us know, we`ll take care of it.......can`t beat that kind of service and american made too......talking about the re series....not much experience with the others.......i`m sold on the RE`s........would stay away from any kind of shockwaves or chinese made bags...........period!
$75 a-bag, for something made in the U.S.A. by folks getting paid good wages, too. Slam Specialties is not some giant multi-billion dollar global corporation, they is us.
gimpys, your absolutely right, donno if oyu ever been there, but you can`t even tell its slam specialties, just a little unasuming shop in a commercial area without even a sign, i had to call them when i was in the parking lot to make sure i was in the right place, about 10 or 12 employees making airbags and packaging them for shipping, hell, the secratary was sitting in themiddle or parts and fittings and bag and valves, not even what i would call a legitimate office,just a desk in the middle of all the parts.......very cool company and when i went in the back, my mind was blown, i expected to see a buunch of chinese packages, nope, 2 or 3 guys actually making the bags right there, 4 or 5 other guys packaging and doign shipping things.....
Well airride tech is the same way the owner gave me a tour about 2 years ago they had the front office with about 3 people and then when I went in the shop they had one guy way back in the corner by him self he welds every piece that needs welding they had a small plasma cutter in the front. They had a person up stairs that hand builds every shockwave and tests them. They had a section with a few machines for fitting bags they were or are a small company. Same thing when I went to the address on my gps in indiana it was actually a house when I called they said drive down to the end of the block little place nice guys too Plan on going there this year in june again.
Shockwave doesn't have the capability to tell you what ride height dimensions and air pressure for their parts to work smoothly and properly with their components. Fly by the seat of the pants and deal with it. It's all fab work. Do something different.
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